The effects and mechanism of watching virtual reality on visual health
摘要
To evaluate changes in ocular, psychological, and opticortical parameters following VR/AR movie exposure. Observational cohort study. Fifty-five healthy adults (17 males, 38 females; age range 19–39 years; mean age 26.1 ± 4.2 years) watched VR/AR movies for 30 min. Visual function assessments included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), tear film breakup time (BUT), contrast sensitivity function (CSF), stereopsis, eye position, and the accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratio. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during both resting and task states. Psychological assessments included measures of visual fatigue, arousal, affective state (PANAS), emotion, and anxiety. No significant changes were observed in IOP, BUT, phoria at 3–40 cm, accommodative response, AC/A ratio, AULCSF, or stereopsis. Both VR and AR exposure led to increased visual fatigue, decreased shyness, and elevated anxiety. EEG recordings showed significant reductions in resting-state alpha wave activity. Increases in visual fatigue were positively correlated with P300 peak latency shifts, which were also associated with increased anxiety. Shyness score reductions were negatively correlated with alpha wave changes. A visual health model was developed. However, its variables were not significantly associated with visual health outcomes (P > 0.05), indicating a lack of independent predictive value. A 30-minute exposure to VR/AR movies does not significantly impair tear film stability, accommodation, or stereopsis. However, it induces measurable changes in EEG, including altered alpha-wave activity and P300 latency, which are associated with visual fatigue. The visual impact of VR/AR may depend on content features and system design. An integrative visual health model that combines subjective symptoms, ocular metrics, and EEG features was established, providing a preliminary framework for comprehensive visual health assessment.
Trial registration: Registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ NCT04530773; on August 2, 2022.